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In many countries and regions, air pollution has become an environmental problem that cannot be ignored. Therefore, air filters with high efficiency, low resistance and strong antibacterial activity should be developed. In this study, carboxymethyl chitosan was impregnated on the surface of PP melt-blown layer to enhance the adsorption of copper ions on PP non-woven fabric. The porous nanomaterial Cu-BTC nanoparticles were loaded on the fibre surface of PP non-woven fabric by in-situ growth method. The micro–nano-composite membrane was prepared by electrospinning TPU on the surface of PP@Cu-BTC. The micro–nano-composite membrane could capture PM2.5 efficiently, and the filtration efficiency of PM2.5 particles was 97.7%. The composite membrane also exhibited excellent antibacterial properties. The inhibition rate of the composite membrane to Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli reached 99.9%. In addition, the composite membrane demonstrated strong stability, and the corresponding inhibition rate did not decrease after washing and drying five times. The membrane featured high-efficiency filtration, excellent antibacterial performance and stability. The PP@Cu-BTC/TPU composite membrane provides a new idea for preparing stable, efficient and antibacterial air filtration membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study introduces functional composite boards, combining nano carbon yarns, stainless steels, and far-infrared (FIR) polypropylene (PP). Stainless steel filaments are wrapped in nano carbon fibers to form yarns, which are then woven into knitted fabrics. These fabrics are laminated at various angles and combined with FIR powder and PP pellets to create functional slabs. These slabs are hot-pressed to form the composite boards. The boards are tested for various properties, leading to the identification of optimal parameters: 2.5 wt% FIR powder content and a lamination angle of 0°/45°/90°. The optimal boards demonstrate high tensile strength, impact resistance, bending capacity, EMI shielding, and FIR release. Thus, the boards with these parameters offer the best performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the effect of lottery characteristics on analysts' earnings forecasts. We find that analysts are more optimistic for lottery firms. Compensation incentives and access to private information from management are key drivers for analysts' optimistic forecasts. The optimism of earnings forecast for lottery stocks decreases with analysts' general and firm-specific experience. Our findings suggest that both behavioral biases and rational incentives help explain analysts' optimism toward lottery stocks. Moreover, investor sentiment positively affects the effect of lottery characteristics on analyst optimism. Firm-specific risk and market uncertainty enhance the effect of lottery characteristics on analysts' earnings forecast bias. The level of optimism on lottery stocks increases during up markets and economic expansion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is conducted with an attempt to explore the influences of PEO (2, 4, 6 wt%) and Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge (100, 125, 150, and 175 mg/mL) over the antibacterial and other performances of wound dressings. The PEO/ Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge mixtures are formed into wound dressings via the electrospinning. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) observation, fiber diameter analysis, water contact angle measurement, and antibacterial assay are performed to investigate the properties of wound dressings. The properties of nanofiber membranes are correlated with PEO concentration, and the antibacterial property of nanofiber membranes is dependent on the Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge concentration, which makes the optimal Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge/PEO ratio being 175/6. The optimal diameter of nanofibers is 239.00 ± 361 nm while the maximal diameter of inhibition zone is 11.50 mm. To sum up, the Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge-loaded wound dressings exhibit the optimal water contact angle, antibacterial property, and nanofiber diameter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Co-extrusion technique is used to combine carbon fiber tows and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) blends into composite carbon fibers (CCFs). The TPU blends serve as the shell and the carbon fiber tows serve as the core. CCFs are fabricated into woven composites and knitted composites with electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness (EMI SE). The effects of the content of carbon fiber tows on different fabrics are examined. The failure mechanism of CCFs is improved as the fiber slippage along the axial direction replaces the fiber fracture. Fabrics made of CCFs are soft. The laminated woven composites have an average EMI SE of -27.20 dB at 0–3000 MHz and -44.99 dB at 2450 MHz, suggesting a good EMI attenuation capability. This study proposes the use of co-extrusion technique followed coating and fabrication of carbon fibers. This brand-new concept would be vital in the development of carbon fiber composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the coating process is employed on metal wire to help improve the friction resistant property of carbon fibers, thereby provides more application feasibility. The yarn coating technique for reinforcement and woven fabric process are used to produce carbon/stainless steel/polyester/polypropylene/acrylic (CSPPA) woven fabrics that are characterized with softness and a light weight. The constituent coated yarns exhibit good conductivity after being coated with a PP layer, and likewise strengthen the woven fabrics in terms of mechanical behavior of tensile strength, elongation, bending torsion, creep resistance, and wear-resistant properties. The test results indicate that in the woven process, samples retain good morphology. Due to PP sheath, the tensile strength of woven fabrics increases from 23 MPa to 42 MPa. Although the lamination layer numbers does not improve the EMI SE of woven fabrics, the EMI SE still reaches over 40 dB. The manufacturing design proposed in this study provides an innovative finishing for carbon fibers without affecting the intrinsic properties, and provides a greater range of application for carbon fibers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Data is currently lacking regarding association between the cholecystectomy/hepatectomy/pancreatectomy and the development of osteoporotic fracture. A retrospective cohort study was conducted to investigate the relationship between cholecystectomy/hepatectomy/pancreatectomy and the subsequent risk of developing osteoporotic fracture. Materials and Methods: Patients having undergone cholecystectomy, hepatectomy, or pancreatectomy between 2000 and 2012 were selected from the All Population Based Hospitalization File as the surgery cohort (n = 304,081), which was frequency matched with the control cohort (n = 304,081). The Cox proportional hazard model and Kaplan–Meier analysis were applied to measure the hazard ratios and the cumulative incidence of osteoporotic fracture. Results: A total of 1136 patients in the surgery cohort and 1179 patients in the control cohort were newly diagnosed with osteoporotic fracture. The overall osteoporotic fracture risk in the surgery cohort was 1.12-fold higher [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.03–1.21]. Specifically, surgery cohort had higher vertebral fracture risk than non-surgery cohort [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 1.12, Cl, 1.03–1.22]. In addition, patients underwent cholecystectomy (includes open and laparoscopic approaches), hepatectomy (only open approach), and pancreatectomy group (only open approach) were 1.10 (95% CI, 1.01–1.19), 1.49 (95% CI, 1.10–2.01), and 1.88 (95% CI, 1.23–2.87) times more likely to develop osteoporotic fracture, respectively. No significant difference of osteoporotic fracture risk was observed between open and laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The risk of osteoporotic fracture was significantly increased in females, patients aged ≥ 40 years old, and patients with some comorbidity. Conclusions: Patients post cholecystectomy, hepatectomy, or pancreatectomy significantly increased risk of developing osteoporotic fracture, suggesting closer attention in post-operative care is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The research is to explore the association between nontyphoidal salmonellosis (NTS) and subsequent gastric cancer. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study by analyzing hospitalization dataset from the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan. Patients aged 20 years and older with NTS (n = 9 097) admitted between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2012, were enrolled and followed up until December 31, 2013. The primary outcome was the incidence of gastric cancer. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate the risk of malignancy, accounting for the competing risk of death. In addition, we conducted a sensitivity analysis by propensity score matching and exclusion of malignancy within 1 year observation to minimize measurable confounding and protopathic bias. Negative controls were applied to examine the presence of possible unmeasured confounders in the study. Results: The study included 18 194 patients (9097 in each NTS and non-NTS group). The median follow-up time was 7 years. The incidence density rate of gastric cancer was 0.72 per 1000 person-years for the NTS group and 0.40 per 1000 person-years for the non-NTS group. The NTS group had a modestly higher risk of gastric cancer (aHR, 2.02; 95% CI 1.18–3.45) than the non-NTS group. The sensitivity analyses revealed consistent results. Conclusions: Patients with NTS are associated with increased risk of subsequent gastric cancer compared with non-NTS patients. Future research is needed to examine whether NTS is parallel, reactive or causative to gastric cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Many studies have revealed that statin therapy reduced mortality in cancer patients, especially in breast cancer, but the effect for second cancer was unclear. We, therefore, performed a comparable cohort study to determine the risk of second cancer in breast cancer patients with statin therapy. Methods: Using claims data from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Program, this study enrolled newly diagnosed breast cancer patients from 2000 to 2007 with and without statin therapy as the statin (n = 1222) and nonstatin (n = 4888) cohorts, respectively. The nonstatin cohort was propensity score matched by cohort entry year, age, and randomly selected comorbidities. These two cohorts were followed up until the diagnosis of second cancer, death, or the end of 2011. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the hazard ratios. Results: The statin cohort had a lower incidence rate than the nonstatin cohort for second cancer (7.37 vs. 8.36 per 1000 person-years), although the difference was not significant (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 0.90, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.65–1.26). Compared with the nonstatin cohort, the second cancer risk was significantly higher for patients taking pravastatin (aHR 2.71, 95% CI 1.19–6.19) but lower for those receiving multiple statin treatment (aHR 0.45, 95% CI 0.25–0.81) and combined lipophilic and hydrophilic type of statin (aHR 0.42, 95% CI 0.20–0.89). The risk was lower for patients receiving a cumulative defined daily dose (cDDD) of > 430 (aHR 0.41, 95% CI 0.19–0.86). Conclusion: This study showed that there is little association between statin use and second cancer risk in breast cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to construct tissue engineering stents by using the long fiber-reinforced thermoplastic (LFT) technique to develop artery stents. The experimental method combines fibers, the LFT technique, and electrospinning technique. First, the biodegradable polyvinyl alcohol yarns are twisted and coated in polycaprolactone/polyethylene glycol blends through the LFT technique. Next, the weft-knitting and heat treatment are used to establish the stent structure, after which poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) is electrospun to coat the stents. The morphology, mechanical, and biological properties of tissue engineering stents are evaluated. The test results indicated that the use of the LFT technique retains the softness of filaments, which facilitates the subsequent weft-knitting process. The coating of blends and electrospinning of PEO have a positive influence on the tissue engineering stents, as demonstrated by the tensile strength of 59.93 N and compressive strength of 6.10 N. Moreover, the in vitro degradation of stents exhibits a stabilized process. The water contact angle is 20.33°, and the cell survival rate in 24 h is over 80%. The proposed tissue engineering stents are good candidates for artery stent structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People have increasingly rising health consciousness in recent years and researchers are thus devoted themselves to develop multi-functional textile products. In this study, stainless steel (SS) filaments are used for electromagnetic shielding effectiveness (EMSE) while polypropylene (PP) filaments are used for ultraviolet resistance and good mechanical properties. Spinning and weaving continuous formation techniques are employed to produce wrapped yarns with SS and PP filaments, after which a weaving process is employed for the preparation of SS/PP woven fabrics. The woven fabrics are tested for EMSE and UV resistance, examining the effect of the lamination-layer numbers and lamination-layer angles. Test results show that the optimal EMSE and UV resistance occur when SS/PP woven fabrics are laminated with two layers at 90 °. Not only focus on the mechanical performance, the proposed woven fabrics with good EMSE, UV resistance, and a light weight, and are good candidate for a variety of application as required. The proposed UV resistance and EMSE woven fabrics significantly increase the additional values of traditional textiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The risk factors for systemic autoimmune diseases (SAD) in gastric disease patients with proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use are still unclear. This study discussed this relationship in an Asian population. Methods: Patients without a prior history of SAD were identified from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2010. Cox regression models were applied to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence interval [CI] of SAD. The cumulative PPI dosage was stratified by quartiles of defined daily doses and adjusted for baseline disease risk score which served as the primary variables compared against no PPI use. Results: We analyzed the data of 51,291 participants aged 18 years or older and free of SAD at baseline. PPI users (n = 17,938) had a significantly increased risk of SAD over non-PPI users. There was a significantly higher risk of developing SAD in older age groups. A significant dose-dependent association was observed between cumulative PPI use and the risk of SAD. Female PPI users had significantly higher risk of developing SAD. In patients who received PPI, the autoimmune disease with significantly higher incidence was Sjögren syndrome (SjS) (adjusted HR [aHR] 1.82, 95% CI, 1.02–3.27) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (aHR, 2.19, 95% CI, 1.19–4.01). Conclusion: This study found PPI users to be associated with an increased risk of SAD. Older age or cumulative PPI use was significantly associated with SAD, and the highest incidence was SjS and RA among gastric disease patients who received PPI. Key Points • This nationwide long-term cohort study found PPI users to be associated with an increased risk of rheumatoid arthritis and Sjögren syndrome in Taiwan. • This finding may help with clinical risk evaluation and will inform further investigation of the pathogenesis between autoimmune diseases and PPI use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary aim of this study is to determine whether there is any association between stocks with lottery-like characteristics and the analyst revisions carried out on such stocks. Given that lottery-like stocks generally tend to be overpriced and have inferior performance to non-lottery-like stocks, analysts are more likely to issue downgrade recommendations on the former than the latter. Analysts have the ability to identify which lottery-like stocks are 'dark horses' with good investment potential, and indeed, their revisions on lottery-like stocks are generally found to have a larger stock-price impact than those on non-lottery-like stocks. Lottery-like stocks are also associated with sentiment-driven overpricing, with market sentiment potentially strengthening the negative price response to revisions from 'buy' to 'sell' for lottery-like stocks; however, such sentiment can also weaken the positive price response to revisions from 'sell' to 'buy' for lottery-like stocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bio-ceramic hydroxyapatite (HA) coating has been commonly used to repair the bones or as the functionalized surface of bone substitutes due to its excellent biocompatibility, superior osteo-inductivity, and great corrosion resistance. Among many other methods for synthesizing HA coating, coating via the electrochemical deposition has a high degree of crystallinity and purity, which fits the nonlinear, complex, and rugged substrates. Furthermore, HA coating can be adjusted in terms of coating morphology, thickness, and chemical component via changing the parameters, such as electrolyte ion concentration, electrolyte composition, deposition current density, and deposition time, etc. Nevertheless, the properties of electrodeposited HA coating highly pertain to the bubbles generated by water electrolysis on the substrate surface as well as the concentration polarization of electrolyte ions near the cathode during the electrodeposition process. In this study, the critical factors and mechanisms of HA coating using the electrochemical deposition method are comprehensively evaluated, thereby examining the effects of parameter optimization (i.e., current mode, ultrasonic treatment, and postprocessing). Finally, the influences of ion substitution and HA composite coating on the surface structure and properties of the HA-based coatings are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many research papers calculate corporate social performance (CSP) with the net score method, i.e., by subtracting the number of concerns from the number of strengths. Although widely adopted, this method implies, perhaps mistakenly, that each indicator is of equal importance and that however serious the social misconduct a firm may have engaged in, it can be completely offset by some positive social action. The method also implies that a given firm that has done both a lot of harm and a lot of good will have CSP similar to that of another firm that has done little harm and little good. In this study, however, we question the appropriateness of the net score method in terms of its ability to truly reflect CSP and truly identify the real effects of CSP on various characteristics. We therefore propose a data envelopment analysis-based methodology that adopts the assurance region approach for evaluating CSP, through which various CSP indicators are converted into a single composite measure of CSP. Our findings show that our proposed methodology consistently performs better than the net score method in evaluating CSP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposes using polypropylene grafted maleic anhydride (MA) to improve the interfacial compatibility between modified impact-resistant polypropylene (MPP) and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). The melt-compounding and injection method is used to prepare MPP/TPU/MA blends. The blending morphology, tensile behavior, flexural behavior, and impact behavior of blends are evaluated in terms of the content of TPU and MA. The SEM images show the positive influence of using MA on the compatibility between MPP and TPU, and only 1 wt% of it can efficiently decrease the difference in polarity and interfacial tension. As MA is an additional reinforcement, 100 wt% of the blends are made of MPP and TPU, indicating that more TPU means less MPP. When the blends are made of more TPU, the tensile strength of the control group (pure MPP/TPU blends) shows a decreasing trend. By contrast, MPP80/TPU20/MA3 blends have a tensile strength of 28 MPa and Young's modulus of 927 MPa, while MPP90/TPU10/MA1 blends have the optimal flexural stress of 53.99 MPa and flexural modulus of 1493.61 MPa. Exception for MPP60/TPU40/MA1 blends, all the other experimental groups have greater impact strength as a result of using 1 wt% of MA. Specifically, MPP90/TPU10/MA1 blends have the maximum impact strength of 105.28 J/ m. The addition of MA has proven to efficiently improve the compatibility and interfacial adhesion between MPP and TPU, thereby forming an extraordinary bonding with a stabilized phase where a stress can be efficiently distributed. This study expects to design and adjust the performance of the composite blends according to the test results of SEM observation, tensile strength test, and impact strength test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the relation between managerial overconfidence and analyst recommendations. The empirical finding shows that analysts are less likely to issue upgrade recommendations for firms managed by overconfident CEOs. Similarly, analysts spend a longer time to upgrade stocks associated with overconfident CEOs. The effect of CEO overconfidence on recommendation revisions is non-monotonic. Analysts are more reluctant to upgrade firms with highly-overconfident CEOs. More experienced analysts are less susceptible to managerial overconfidence. Moreover, investors exhibit stronger response to recommendations for firms with overconfident CEOs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study combines and twists 75D polyester (PET) multi-filaments and polylactic acid (PLA) multi-filaments with twist coefficients of 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 to form 150D PET/PLA plied yarns. The 0.08-mm-diameter stainless steel (SS) fibers are made into SS braids with a 60-tooth braid gear and a take-up gear with 60, 70, 80, 90, or 100 teeth. PET/PLA plied yarn and SS braids are then combined and electrochemically treated with an electric current of 100, 200, 300, 400, or 500 mA at 60 °C for 24 hours, forming the PET/PLA/SS composite bone scaffolds. PET/PLA/SS composite bone scaffolds are observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscope (EDS), and tested for weight increase rate and biocompatibility. The experiment results show that the optimal twist coefficient for PET/PLA plied yarn is 4 and the optimal tooth number on the take-up gear for SS braids is 80. SEM observation result shows that hydroxyapatite (HA) deposits on the surface of PET/PLA/SS composite bone scaffolds and attaches to the PET/PLA plied yarns. Finally, regardless of electric currents, all PET/PLA/SS composite bone scaffolds possess good biocompatibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonwoven fabrics were used as reinforcement to laminated composites to improve the mechanical properties and damage behaviors. The needle-punched Kevlar/LMPET nonwoven interlayer and two TPU covers were combined via thermal bonding to form the laminated composites. Tensile strength, peel load, and static puncture resistance of the laminated composites were evaluated in terms of needle punching rate and depth of the nonwoven interlayer. Results showed that tensile strength and static puncture resistance depended on the needle punching depth, primarily on the tangled fiber points. The peel load was dependent on the needle punching rate, especially on the resulting melted LMPET fibers. The laminated composites exhibited desirable tensile properties, peel load, and static puncture resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to develop biodegradable vascular stents that prevent permanent damage caused by rejection of the immune system of the human body. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) yarns are twisted to enhance their strength. The twisted yarns are braided and then coated with chitosan (CS). The CS-coated PVA vascular stents are chemically crosslinked with genipin (GP) to improve their flexibility and biodegradability. Their morphological characteristics are also observed using a stereoscopic microscope, and their properties are evaluated through scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared, bending test, biodegradability test, drug release measurement, and MTT assay. Results reveal that wet PVA-CS-GP vascular stents coated with multiple CS layers can maintain a tubular structure when they are bent. After crosslinking is performed, the compressive strength of the PVA-CS-GP stents is 17.04 times higher than that of pure PVA. The weight loss rate of the PVA-CS-GP vascular stents as <3 % after 30 days. The PVA-CS-GP vascular stents composed of 0.10 % heparin sodium show a good drug release effect. Biological activity test indicates that these stents exhibit good proliferation, and our structural model verifies that they are good vascular stents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The polyester (PET) fibers and Kevlar® staple fibers, which are recycled from discarded selvages of PET and Kevlar® woven fabrics, are made into nonwoven fabrics using a needle-bonded process. The PET/Kevlar® nonwoven matrices are used as the surface layers, while a glass fiber woven fabric is used as the interlayer. The sandwich-structured composites are saturated with waterborne PU resin and then hot pressed, forming puncture resistant PU-reinforced PET/Kevlar® sandwiches. The sandwiches are evaluated in terms of the tensile property test, the bursting property test, the constant-rate puncture test, the dynamic puncture test, and the drop-weight impact test. The test results indicate that increasing the pick-up rate of PU resin can significantly improve all mechanical properties, suggesting that PU-reinforced PET/Kevlar® sandwiches have protective functions and make good candidate for insoles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, many data hiding techniques have been proposed, and they can be generally classified into two types according to the reversibility of the image; these two types are reversible and irreversible data hiding. This study focused on reversible data hiding, which makes recovering the cover image possible after the secret data has been extracted. In 2013, Chen et al. proposed an asymmetric-histogram reversible data hiding method. In their scheme, two prediction error histograms (maximum and minimum error histograms) were used to embed the secret message. Two histograms were shifted in opposite directions. Hence, some stego-pixels were shifted to their original values. The complementary embedding strategy is effective. However, the predictor in the method is rough. Only neighboring pixels were used to generate the prediction errors, thereby resulting in poor prediction efficiency. To enhance the prediction efficiency, this paper combines several well-known predictors such as gradient adjusted gap (GAP), median edge detect, and interpolation by neighboring pixel (INP) to generate prediction errors. Different predictors along with the asymmetric-histogram method can achieve better results. The predictor GAP used more neighboring pixels to obtain the prediction value; therefore, it is suitable for complex images. However, the predictor INP only considers that closer pixels can achieve great results for smooth images. Hence, the proposed scheme combines GAP and asymmetric histogram for complex images. However, the predictor INP along with asymmetric histogram is used for smooth images. Experimental results showed that the PSNR value of the proposed method is greater than that of the asymmetric-histogram shifting method and other recent approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the new model of dynamic puncture behaviors of intra-/inter- reinforced compound fabrics which are fabricated by nonwovens and reinforced fabrics using needle-punching and thermal bonding technique is constructed by the maximum deformation and stress-wave transmission theory. Moreover, the number of layers for E1 puncture protection is optimized based on numerical analysis of penetration depth. Dynamic puncture model shows that the dynamic puncture resistance depends on elastic modulus of reinforced fabrics, deformation radius and thickness of compound fabrics. The maximum puncture resistance and penetration depth both have parabola relations to number of layers. This study provides the accurate prediction model of puncture force and safety layers for designing puncture-resisting body armor in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A green approach for forming silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) on ecofriendly highly absorbent nonwoven fabrics was investigated. The fiber blending ratio of highly absorbent nonwoven fabrics was optimized by simulated body fluid (SBF) and water absorption. SBF and water absorption ratios reached 42 and 42.9 times after addition of 50 wt% highly absorbent fibers. The Ag NPs were characterized by UV-visible spectrometry (UV-Vis), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). UV-Vis and XRD images confirmed the presence of Ag NPs. TEM observation revealed that Ag NPs were distributed at 5-10 nm. The results of antimicrobial activity showed that Ag NP dope is effective for producing antimicrobial nonwoven fabrics against E. coli and S. aureus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined intergenerational communication schemas by investigating young adults' cognitive representations of communication with older adults in Taiwan. Forty-one Taiwanese college students described conversations with an older adult in response to a variety of interviewer prompts. Transcripts were read and content analyzed by the first two authors. To capture the characteristics of the conversation descriptions, eleven coding dimensions were generated based on schema theory, and all conversation descriptions were coded along these dimensions. Coding results were submitted to hierarchical cluster analysis, yielding five schemas: Mutually satisfying, helping, mixed feelings, small talk, and mutually unpleasant conversations. Results are discussed in terms of similarities and differences from Harwood, McKee and Lin's (2000) study, schema theory, intergenerational communication, and Chinese cultural norms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known regarding the association of non-lactational mastitis women with breast cancer risk. This population-based cohort study examined the breast cancer risk in women with non-lactational mastitis. We identified 3,091 women with non-lactational mastitis between 2000 and 2011 using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. We performed 1:4 propensity score matching by age, socioeconomic status and comorbidities and identified 12,364 women without non-lactational mastitis. The mean age of women with non-lactational mastitis was 37.9 years; these women had a higher breast cancer risk than the comparison group (adjusted hazard ratio = 1.94, 95% confidence interval: 1.30–2.90). The incidence rates of breast cancer in women with non-lactational mastitis and the comparison group were 14.79 and 7.57 per 10,000 person-years, respectively. Furthermore, non-lactational mastitis was a risk factor for breast cancer in women aged <50 years, women with lower socioeconomic status and women with hormonal medication (p < 0.05). Women who had more episodes of non-lactational mastitis had a higher risk of developing a breast cancer. Thus, the risk of breast cancer in women with non-lactational mastitis is significantly higher than those without non-lactational mastitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to develop coronary artery stents using a spray-coating method. Chitosan is coated onto the polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers in order to form PVA/CS coronary artery stents. The formation of chitosan is evaluated, examining the influences on the PVA/CS stents. The stents are evaluated using surface observation, scanning electron microscope (SEM) observation, thickness measurement, mesh size measurement, braid angle measurement, strut coverage rate measurement, compression strength test, and Fourier transforms infrared spectrometry (FTIR). The test results show that the spray-coating method successfully coats chitosan layer over the PVA/CS stents without sealing the mesh. Moreover, a longer spray coating span improves the compression resistance and maintains the perfect biocompatibility of the PVA/CS stents. This study successfully prepares PVA/CS coronary artery stents that are in a reticular, tubular manner, and coated with a well-formed chitosan layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]